


silence

by 10outof10



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Deaf Character, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Seaside, Slice of Life, businessmajor!minhyuk, deaf!jooheon, i dont even know if its good, this took so long to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22872712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/10outof10/pseuds/10outof10
Summary: In silence, Jooheon watches the waves tumble over itself till Minhyuk comes and teaches him to let go and let the waves take over.
Relationships: Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	1. parallel worlds

**Author's Note:**

> this took so long to write and i'm breaking it into two parts bc that's just how it is lol

There’s just comfort in silence, the way everything is moving without context, the feeling of a standstill while everyone else seems to move in slow motion. For three years, it has been as if time exists in between the light changes but never physically felt; Jooheon is stuck in between those days where everything is suddenly quiet, and now getting used to how calming the tranquility of how his life has become.

He won’t lie and say he doesn’t miss the music, the heart shaking bass, the small cramped studio he used to work in, the flashing lights, and the cold microphone on his lips. There are times where he sits down in front of the old piano in his small home, stares at the black and white keys, and lifting a finger to press at least one of the endless keys in front of him, only to feel the vibration but hear absolutely nothing. Jooheon would smile faintly, the weight of his finger still on the key he had pressed, he feels proud that he doesn’t tap more than once anymore, maybe this is progress.

Music was his life, his craft, his everything, and it all came crashing when his migraine got worse and worse till he just lost all the sound in the world, except for his own.

Jooheon has left behind his old life, his old apartment in the city, his music career, everything; except for his two cats and a few friends. No matter how much he misses it, he knows he could never get back to it. He has accepted the fact that this silence is his life now. 

It might be useless to own a piano in his current state, however, he just couldn’t get rid of them. He tells himself that it’s a perfectly good piano, it would be a waste to throw it away. Changkyun thinks that it’s unhealthy to have a reminder of the fact that Jooheon can never go back to making music again, but Hyunwoo reiterates that it’s just a piano, there’s no harm there. And that it’s bolted to the floor, and they can’t do anything about it. 

There’s nothing much to do in the countryside, and that’s just the way Jooheon likes it. When he’s not reminiscing in front of the old instrument, he watches the cats chase their toy or yawn in his lap as he reads the nth book of the week, he watches tv with subtitles and trains himself on lip reading, sometimes he goes out to the beach and sits there for hours; smelling the salty air, feeling the warmth of the sand in between his toes, and watching the waves fall over each other.

The ocean crashes into themselves the way chaos happens, it’s like how people bump into each other in a very busy street during rush hour, or how university students from different colleges usher in the small cafeteria where Minhyuk is; struggling to push pass other sleep-deprived students to get his fourth coffee of the afternoon. 

It’s too noisy, the way little chatters and obnoxious banters clashing with each other in a closed space, how  _ shushes _ and laughter interject each other, Minhyuk wonders how much more of this mess he could take, but he’s worried more about his finals that are scheduled later in the day. He can not fail this one, not again, if he does he has to either switch majors or drop out as stated in the university policy.

He finds his friends gathered at the tables just outside the crowded cafeteria, to which he drags himself wearily, a coffee in one hand and a thick accounting book in another. He doesn’t remember why he chose to be a business management major, but he already is, and he knows he’s made the dumbest choice when he doesn’t even want to be in the world of business, and his grades aren’t helping his cause. 

“That’s it!” A few minutes of staring at the formulas and nonsensical words in his book, Minhyuk snaps, standing up and throwing his book in the nearby bin with all the rage in his body. “I quit! I fucking quit!”

Hoseok, Kihyun, and Hyungwon stare at him as if he’s gone crazy, and they’re right, Minhyuk has gone completely and utterly insane. His body trembling and his chest rising and falling at a shaky rate. 

“Omg… are you okay?” 

Minhyuk sighs, “No, I- I fucking hate you, Chae Hyungwon.” he sees his friend cradling the trashed textbook in his arms, the latter looks back at his friend, feigning confusion as he walks back to his seat next to Hoseok, who is visibly holding in his laughter. “I am really gonna sell the both of you.” 

“How can you sell them when you can’t even balance right?” Kihyun interjects and the table bursts into fits of laughter, except for Minhyuk who looks up at the sky with his eyes closed, praying to the gods to give him the strength not to murder his friends.

“Min, just take the test, and if you fail again, you can shift in my department, where you really want.” Hoseok is in the multimedia arts department, and Minhyuk has always been fascinated with drawing and painting.

Art has been Minhyuk’s escape, the only reason why he never really took it seriously is that he doesn’t want to see his escape become something he disdains. 

He still took the test despite his clear desire to give up, and surely he was right about just giving up. He sees the grades posted a few weeks after finals, and he receives an email regarding his major. Without words, he passes a leave of absence and goes back to his hometown, he doesn’t know how long he needs, or if this is even a good idea, but Minhyuk goes for it anyway, like he always does.

He ignores the countless texts and interchanging caller ids on his screen. Maybe he should have at least said goodbye indefinitely to his three idiots, but he figures he needs time, doesn’t he?

Like how one is getting over heartbreak, or how someone passed and one needs time to process and mourn, or if they lose something so precious to them that they choose to isolate themselves in a small town and just take things slow.

Finding comfort in the little things and not thinking about how things could have turned out with what if’s; things that sometimes still bothers Jooheon, but he tries his best not to let it get to him too much. So he sits at the very far edge of the beach after his walk, where the rock formations cover his aloneness, and hopefully his loneliness, from other people. He watches the waves, trying to focus on the white lines, the blue waves, and the part where they meet then dissipate.

The sky is dark, the air gets colder, and the waves start to grow bigger. Jooheon furrows his eyebrows, trying to remember if the news said anything about a storm. He may not have been watching when it was announced. Inwardly cursing, as he forgot his umbrella, the young male collects his things and runs to the nearest shelter, a small food shack just off shore. It’s already late, his clothes and belongings already drenched from the sudden heavy rain. He sighs and closes his eyes to remain as calm as possible. 

A tap on his shoulder caused him to jerk and turn to his side, where he sees a smiling dark haired male handing him a small towel. He blinks at least two times, watching the other’s lips move, deciphering what he has said. “I… I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”

“I said, take the towel! Dry yourself off or you’re gonna catch a cold.” Minhyuk says, louder this time, thinking maybe the wind and the rain is too overpowering, but he starts to frown when he notices that the drenched man doesn’t respond to him, only staring intensely on his lips and nothing else.

He thinks maybe he wants to kiss, but that would be as weird as Kihyun confessing his love for Hyungwon. And maybe this is how his first day back in his hometown would be, kissing a wet stranger in a dingy food shack by the beach. 

So he does.

  
  
  
  
  


Not.

“Thank you.”

It was Minhyuk’s turn to blink, he looks at the man in front of him, now smiling as he dries himself, dimples on both sides of his cheeks, and kind cat like eyes. “You’re… welcome.” 

The drenched man with a nice smile introduces himself as Jooheon, he explains his condition, which connects the dots in his head as to why the former was staring intently on his lips. Minhyuk thanks his self-control for not actually kissing this stranger, or he would have to run away again and find a new hometown.

“I’m Minhyuk. Lee Minhyuk.” he speaks slowly this time, allowing the other to clearly read what he is saying. He finds it cute, how this dumpling looking male is so focused on his words, the way he smiles when he understands perfectly what Minhyuk just said.

This is the first time in a long time that Jooheon is talking to somebody that is not Changkyun or Hyunwoo or the supermarket lady a few blocks away from his house. He makes a mental note to get used to reading lips more often than he’s been doing. But there really isn’t anyone there to hold a conversation with, his two friends would only visit once or twice a week, as they have jobs in Seoul. Yoshi and Gucci just stares at him, maybe purrs in his hands, and there are only a few shows on television that has subtitles. He only goes grocery shopping twice a month, so supermarket lady is out of his options.

Lee Minhyuk.

He repeats the name in his head, letting the name linger, simmering it down to a soft mellow guitar 128 beats per minute; he smiles, hearing Minhyuk’s name with his own voice so he gets used to it. It’s a common name, yet associating a person with it is different than just hearing it in his head. 

Their small yet slow conversation comes to a halt as they both notice the rain stops pouring. Minhyuk looks at his watch and remembers that his mother had asked him to help out in cooking. He rushes his farewell to the dimple stranger and runs to the bus stop. 

He may or may not purposely have left his towel for the purpose of seeing Jooheon again.


	2. temporary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ta da!!! idk if i should like do a longer one of this, but i suck at chaptered fics so much. 
> 
> i just realized that i might have rushed this thing, so if it's awkward and weird then it's my fault lol

He sits by the piano again, staring at the keys blankly, maybe if he stares hard enough, the thing would play itself and somehow he’ll hear it. Jooheon lifts his hand, his fingers hovering over the instrument, but he stops for a brief moment. With a deep breath, he composes himself and remembers by heart the one song that he misses hearing. The first song he performed as a child, he remembers the notes and where they go, as if it’s second nature. As if his hands have a life of their own, he watches his hands dance on the keys, it’s like watching a movie on mute. Unknowingly, tears start falling on the back of his hand, the notes getting jumbled on each other, tripping over themselves and falling off a music score. He bites the inside of his lower lip, feeling it bruise a little, he desperately longs for something he can’t ever hear again.

He can’t keep doing this to himself, maybe Changkyun is right, he should get rid of this thing. He clenches his jaw, his hand falling on the keys, creating a dissonance that makes Minhyuk jump.

He’s been walking around the neighborhood to get things off his mind, he’s finally answered his phone to Hoseok crying and asking where he went, to which he said he’ll be back before the semester starts again. He still plans on shifting to arts, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do so, he doesn’t have anything else to lose at this point.

The male peeks at the small window where he sees Jooheon slumped on the chair, and from the tiny space where the curtains don’t cover, he sees a tear or two. His heart sinks, he remembers the kind smiling face he saw a few days ago become a tear-stained mess, and he doesn’t know what to do.

The other male finally looks up and sees him, so he ducks, hoping and praying that he has not been seen, but the window opens and Jooheon is right there, looking down at him. “Minhyuk?” He jumps, bumping his head on the window sill, but he laughs and pretends that it doesn’t hurt.

“Hey! How are you?” He smiles brightly, Jooheon doesn’t smile back. No one has ever seen him having a breakdown since the cursed day he knew he had lost the one thing so important to him, the day that caused him so much pain. He can’t help but think who this strange man thinks he is, snooping around his property, uninvitedly watching the low moment that he swore to never let anyone see ever again. He has built his walls up too high that sometimes even Hyunwoo nor Changkyun couldn’t climb, he also can’t let this person, who he just met a few days ago, climb up that wall. “The music you were playing was nice.”

“Go away.” His stern voice surprises the other male, it has never occurred to Minhyuk that the soft-looking man he met a few days ago would be this intimidating when he wants to be. 

He stays, looking up at the other, not breaking eye contact, and maybe that’s a bad idea but he doesn’t budge at all. 

“What the fuck are you still doing here? I said go away!” Jooheon slams the windows shut and pulls the curtains back, Minhyuk jerks and stares in disbelief. He never meant any harm, and maybe he was being too nosy, but what can he do?

He may have a little crush on the guy, and he wants to know more of his pain and the reason for his tears.

His phone vibrates inside his pocket and he sees Hoseok’s message, asking him how he’s doing and why he hasn’t called as he promised. 

Clingy Hoseok, he misses him though.

\--

_  
  
_

It is small, but every time Jooheon thinks about it, it inevitably bothers him how he treated Minhyuk. The guy became a shock absorber for his own misery and he truly does not deserve that kind of treatment. 

With a sigh, he continues cleaning up his place when he stumbles upon a familiar towel that was lent to him, and again, he thinks of how things went down with the older male the other day. There are just some things that one can’t help but think about, how their actions might have affected another person, and that is how Jooheon feels, he is reminded of how he has been with everyone in his life; fascinated and guilty at how out of a number of people in his life, only two friends are the only ones that stayed with him, by the way, he’s been acting lately, what potentially might be another friendship with a stranger is ruined by how rude he had been. He stares at the towel in his hand before looking out the door, maybe this is his chance to actually stop isolating himself from everyone.

He goes to the old food shack where they first met, not a lot of people eat at the place. It’s been there before he even chose to settle down in this small town, and he’s never grabbed food to eat there. He thinks maybe the place doesn’t sell good food, if it did then more people would come to eat, wouldn’t they?

The sun slowly sets and Jooheon still waits, he doesn’t know if Minhyuk would even go where he is. Why would he? It’s not like there’s any significant thing that ties him down to this place nor is he likely to eat here.

His head is empty, he knows this is a sort of, the plan that will not work out. There is no verbal agreement that they’d meet here, he just randomly came here to wait for Minhyuk. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll come.

His stomach grumbles as he waits for someone he doesn’t even know would come. He could smell freshly caught fishes grilling, he turns his head and he sees a familiar face, smiling at customers and serving food.

This isn’t really his plan, he thought he’d just stay in this town for a short time while he relaxes in his parents’ house. However his grandparents asked him if he could help out in the food shack, Minhyuk, being the kind grandkid that he is, agreed even if it’s not something he would want to do.

He’s already set in taking up arts, but he hasn’t told his parents that. After three years of studying business management, he just couldn’t find it in himself to break it to them that he wants to start over and do something else. 

How do you approach a situation that, you know, might be a bad idea?

“Minhyuk, can you go ask that young man over there if he’s gonna order?” His grandpa points at a man just outside the small establishment, and as he looks over, his eyes meet with Jooheon, and he swears right then and there, there is an urge to storm off. 

“I don’t think he’s a customer,” Minhyuk mutters but his grandpa already left to go back to the kitchen. Setting down the menu on the counter and wiping his hand on his apron, he walks closer to where Jooheon is. “If you’re not gonna eat, go away. It’s bad for our business.”

Jooheon just looks at him.

“I said, if you’re not a paying customer, leave.” Minhyuk tries to speak slowly, remembering that the other can not hear him, “This brings bad luck for the business-”

“I’m sorry.” 

The younger male hands him his towel, his eyes glistening as he purses his small lips. Minhyuk looks at the towel for a brief moment then to the young man, then back again before taking it from his grasp. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you the other day. You didn’t deserve that.” 

“Yeah, didn’t expect you to be a jerk.” It isn’t a big deal, to be honest, it really wasn’t, but Minhyuk is petty and he really wants the younger male to go away. 

“I washed it.” Minhyuk assumes that Jooheon didn’t get what he said, so he lets it slide, but the other understood what he said, he also knows that he is a big jerk.

Silence.

They both don’t want to leave, so they just stood there, like how they were a week ago; when Minhyuk almost kissed him, and Jooheon was less lonely with him. It’s funny how things can change in a short period of time, how a certain event and reaction to it can affect how things could go, and how something so minuscule like the soft grumble of Jooheon’s stomach can lead to a burst of chuckles.

_  
  
_

“Wanna come inside and eat?” 

Minhyuk doesn’t wait for an answer, he gestures the other to follow him and one moment leads to another, soon they’re sitting opposite of each other as they share a big plate of raw fish and wraps.

Jooheon was wrong. The food in the small shack is great, and he regrets not knowing sooner than he did; same goes with meeting Minhyuk, he wishes he had met him before, maybe then he would know how he sounds like.

“So, you used to do music?” 

“Yeah.” 

“How did you lose your… you know?”

The older male threads lightly, after the incident the other day, he knows how to not be so pushy about it, but Jooheon just smiles and answers him truthfully. He sees the sadness behind the smile, the longingness for something, it’s calm but it’s there, and Minhyuk can’t help but feel a heavy weight on his heart as he hears the other pause in between words.

As he sighs after his sad story, he focuses his attention back to the older male, who just looks at him with empathy on his face, or maybe a snot and a full on break down. 

Jooheon panics and picks up a tissue to wipe away his tears. Minhyuk doesn’t fully understand how hard it is, as someone who doesn’t really know what he should be doing in his life, losing something that one needs to be right where they belong and doing something that brings them joy could be difficult to accept. He thinks Jooheon is lucky enough to still be capable of finding his place in this world, despite the difficulties he’s faced.

“I’m sorry for crying.” He composes himself, wiping down the remaining wetness in his eyes before smiling weakly at the other.

“You don’t have to feel bad for me. You’re making it weird by crying like a bitch.” Jooheon jokes, eating the last piece of raw fish while smiling. 

“Jerk.”

Laughter fills the almost empty restaurant, the bright light of the moon shines over them as they enjoy each other’s company. Soon enough, Minhyuk closes down the food shack for the day as per his grandparent’s request. 

He walks Jooheon home and he stands just a few meters away to wait for the other to lock up and close the lights. 

He doesn’t know why he’s doing so, he just feels like he has to.

__  
  


\--

There are those times where Jooheon enjoys sitting alone in his living room in silence, letting the little things that give him comfort surround him, like his cats, and a good book. Today, he watches in fascination as Minhyuk paints the empty wall in his place with a whale, the male had expressed wanting to help decorate Jooheon’s small bungalow with more colors, so he lets him do as he pleases. He doesn’t know why he lets Minhyuk do it, but seeing other people do what they like best gives him the same sense of joy he used to feel when he does something he likes. 

Sure it’s a little more messy in his place than he is used to, but the mess is Minhyuk, and that’s all that matters.

“Minhyuk, why don’t you take up arts? You’re really good at it.” He comments, looking up at the older male as he turns back to smile at him.

“Maybe I should, when I go back to Seoul.” 

... _ Oh.  _

“I came here to take a break and figure out what I want to do. And perhaps, this is for me.” Minhyuk continued to mindlessly paint the illustration of the whale with shades of blues that compliment each other as Jooheon falls silent in his own thoughts. 

That’s right, he has to go back to the city, like Changkyun and Hyunwoo, he too has a life outside this small town where Jooheon chose to stay for the rest of his life. Minhyuk isn’t the type to stay, he knew that from the start, yet something in him always just figured that perhaps this boy who he grew accustomed to, this strange man who came into his life one rainy day, wouldn’t just be someone temporary.

He feels movement just above his peripheral and sees that Minhyuk has been waving at him, calling for his attention.

”Are you okay?” He reads his lip, something about the other’s expression tells him that he may have sensed Jooheon’s dismay. 

So he smiles, ”Yeah, I’m fine.”

”You’re not, tell me what’s wrong.”

_ I just realized that you’re leaving. I’d be alone again, but it’s fine, you have to go out there and chase your dream. You shouldn’t stay in this slow-moving life of mine. You’re meant for something greater than this. _

He doesn’t say that, instead he shakes his head as stands up to look at the half painted whale on his walls that used to be bare cement, the blues and whites covering the cracks and stains that he didn’t think of that much, however he feels more at peace now that they’re unnoticeable. 

Minhyuk taps his shoulder, to which he turns his head slightly to his side and wet paint glosses over his pale right cheek. He stares in a brief shock at the smiling older male, for a moment something in his chest constricted and suddenly his stomach starts churning. He wishes he could hear how loud Minhyuk’s laugh is, he imagines them to be as bright as the sunlight outside, as warm as the male’s shaking hand on his shoulder, and as beautiful as the painting just beside them. 

Jooheon takes the bigger brush with white paint and brushes it across Minhyuk’s face, crossing over his nose. Their roles reverse, the older boy now in disbelief and the younger one smiling, laughing. Minhyuk willingly dives into the soft melody of Jooheon’s laugh. His dimples prominently deeper, his eyes turning into crescents, and his body shaking as he cracks up. Something clicks and he, too, laughs at how stupid this is.

Whites and blues filled their faces, hands, and clothes. They pay no mind to the splatters of paint on the ground, they laugh and drown in each other's happiness. The painting is now ignored, the two cats looking over at their silly fight in confusion, and for a moment, Jooheon lets go of the thought that this joy might be temporary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading. i really appreciate it. if you wanna yell at me or idk become my friend, follow me on twitter @joohoneygom ! ifb 😋
> 
> also i said this will be two parts but i continued writing and writing and it got longer so i'm sectioning this last part into two again, so the last chapter will be up tomorrow!


	3. blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!!
> 
> you know, i still ask myself if anyone even reads the author's note? lol so i'm just gonna write in here that i miss jooheon and wonho so much, i really really do. mx7 forever 😤 also, happy without me is the best track in the new english album, you can't tell me otherwise.

He’s never let anything go beyond his control; if something is out of his discretion, he takes a few steps back and watches as they go array. So when Minhyuk suggests that they go bathe in the sea, he’s a little skeptical. Ever since he’s lost his hearing, he has tried to keep everything at a minimal, never do things that might bring him discomfort, and that includes going into uncontrollable waters.

Jooheon is tense, the waves like a strong force that almost topples him over. He watches Minhyuk laughing while he struggles to keep afloat. The older male holds his hand as tight as the younger’s grip, Minhyuk assures him that he won't let go, wanting the other let loose and let the waves take over. 

“Don’t fight the waves.”

He tries to loosen up, letting the waves carry him around in a beautiful dance, he holds Minhyuk’s hand tighter, and they both allow their bodies move with the pushing and pulling of the waters.

Minhyuk watches him with a sense of pride and fascination, the way Jooheon screams as the sea ripples pass them. He can’t believe that the younger male has never thought about bathing in the vast sea.

His grip on the other’s hand goes tighter, he holds his breath as he’s never let his body be taken over by something beyond his control. His feet paddling as they barely touch the sand beneath them, he looks up at Minhyuk and he swears something had stopped inside of him, like a clock. He doesn’t feel like he’s running out of time anymore, the way Minhyuk smiles at him proudly, the way the salty water makes the older male’s hair curl slightly, and how the sun hits his face is like extra time, and Jooheon is ready to slow down.

“Minhyuk…”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

However slowing down meant for other things to go faster, like the beating of Minhyuk’s heart as he stares into the younger male’s face and the way he grabs Jooheon’s shirt. He wants to protect him. He wishes he could just… kiss him. 

He still doesn’t.

“Maybe we should get out?” He says, stammering a little, he thanks the universe that Jooheon can’t hear how flustered he is. 

The other agrees, he guides him back to the shore and they both sit beside each other. Jooheon wishes it could always be like this, even if Minhyuk makes him do stuff he’s cynical about, he doesn’t mind.

It’s Minhyuk, after all.

_ Bzz. Bzz. _

The latter picks up his phone to see that his friend back home has left quite an amount of phone calls. Jooheon watches as what seems to be in a serious conversation, and the way he looks so unsure about what he’s saying to the person on the other line. 

It isn’t his place to stick his nose in Minhyuk’s business, he wonders what sort of discussion he’s having with the caller for the older boy to be so deep in his thoughts. 

He thinks maybe it’s some bad news.

And he’s right, it is bad news, at least for him it is.

  
  


Minhyuk left the next day. 

  
  


He left without saying goodbye; without reasons. He left Jooheon in the roaring waves of his loneliness. 

Jooheon walks along his usual trail, taking in the warm sand underneath his feet, the salty breeze playing with his hair, tossing and turning it in different directions.

And there he sits, on his usual spot, watching the seas dance and the seagulls fly.

There he finds him. 

He finds him in the warmth of the sun beneath his feet. He finds him in the calm beating of his heart. He finds him in the cool breeze of the wind that cradles him softly. He finds him in the sun that slowly dips to the sea that reminds him of his image, smiling as the yellow paint smudges on his cheek. He found him in a place that Minhyuk never existed. 

Oh, how badly must Jooheon want him here. With him. Beside him. Watching as the sun slowly sets and all that’s left is him, in his silence.

Missing someone is fascinating, to say the least, Jooheon sees Minhyuk in places he wishes he had been but never really there. Little things like a fragment of memory, a smell, a certain temperature, or even a color is a reminder that he came into his life, even for a short while. 

The color blue.

Jooheon is the color “Blue.” the male mutters, his three friends look back at him with curious faces. Hyungwon is wearing a blue sweater that Minhyuk’s eyes can’t help but fix on. 

“Ah… it’s thrifted. You’ll like that place, Min. They sell cheap luxury items.” Hyungwon smiles, flaunting his pastel oversize sweater.

He’s back in the city, back in the crowded university, where he waits in line with his friends to get their registration form. 

He didn’t owe Jooheon an explanation, at least that’s what he thinks but, Minhyuk can’t help but feel like he should have. He has a habit of just running away, or leaving without a word, it doesn’t bother him at all. 

However, Jooheon is different. 

And Hyungwon’s blue sweater reminds him of soft sighs on a cold night. Blue is dimple smiles. Blue is tranquility in chaos. Blue is intense stares on his lips. Blue lives in a bubble of his own world. Blue plays a beautiful piece on the piano. Blue is love.

And Jooheon is blue.

“I… have to go.” Minhyuk pushes pass Kihyun who shouts at him, asking him where’s going. He knows where he’s headed, and that’s where he wants to be.

In Jooheon’s silence, where he found that his chaos doesn’t get drowned out by other people’s mess, where his own mess is welcome. 

He catches the next bus back to his hometown, this time, he’s sure this is the thing he wants, to be beside Jooheon.

The hours felt like days, he texts his friends that he might not ever come back to university, and they, too, are really sure that Minhyuk has gone completely and utterly insane. 

And he is. He definitely is.

Jooheon’s small home is empty, aside from the two cats who look up at him, as if in surprise, to see him back but they eventually go back to grooming themselves. 

The beach.

Minhyuk runs, even though he knows that there is nowhere else Jooheon would go. He runs as if he’s being chased then he stops. He sees a familiar build looking over the ocean, sitting by a rock, and he swears his heart wouldn’t stop beating rapidly, he knows for sure it’s not just because he ran to get to where he thinks the other would be.

He catches his breath and walks towards the figure, he sits down and Jooheon almost jumps up, he looks at Minhyuk with the most puzzled look, to which the older male smiles.

“Can I join you?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, instead he scoots closer and holds out his hand for Jooheon to hold.

And he does.

He smiles and looks over the scenery in front of them, he doesn’t ask anything, he doesn’t need explanation, nothing at all.

Minhyuk joins him in his aloneness, they both stare into the sea, and for the first time in a long time, Jooheon isn’t lonely. It’s the same scenery, but the water seems different, he wonders how far they have traveled to get to where they are now; beneath the rocks where he sits, pulling back, and traveling elsewhere again. 

He guesses Minhyuk would be the same, he’ll go somewhere after staying for a moment, creating a beautiful mess in Jooheon’s life, where he experiences being in it instead of watching from afar. Minhyuk encourages him to dip his toes in the cold water, he enables him to dance with the waters, to go where it takes him. And for a moment, he forgets that he is the boulder they are sitting on, permanently stuck in one place, while Minhyuk is the vast ocean, breathtakingly chaotic, not meant to stay in one place, and he can’t go where he’s taking him. 

He’s only meant to stay for a while, then he has to go somewhere else again, where he’ll be happier than with the silence that Jooheon finds comfort in. 

"Jooheon, do you remember the sound of the ocean waves?" he stares at Minhyuk, and maybe it’s because they hanged out every single day before he left that he finds it easier to read his lips now. 

"I don't." the younger boy replies, a sullen look on his face. Minhyuk hums, smiling softly as he looks out the sun dipping slowly in the horizon. He wonders how he could explain the things he’s hearing so that Jooheon would know just how much the sound of wind and the ocean waves reminds him of the younger male’s piano playing, the one he heard weeks ago. How his heart sounds like when it’s beating erratically whenever the younger male smiles at him. 

"I always think it sounds like splashing and slapping, like chaos; but it's peaceful, maybe it's because I'm with you." Jooheon furrows his eyebrows, trying to make sense out of what Minhyuk has said, he spoke too fast and too quiet, his brain meshing different words to fit the other’s lips, but he doesn’t understand.

“Min, speak slowly. I can't understand if you speak fast." 

Minhyuk laughs, looking back at Jooheon before ruffling his hair. "It's not important." 

He guesses this is how his life would be from now on, if he doesn’t go back to the city to continue studying, he would have to repeat his professions to Jooheon until he gets it, he would sit in this rock and watch the ocean in the younger male’s stillness, and he doesn’t mind that at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're done!!!
> 
> this is so lighthearted, this whole fic, and i honestly never wrote anything this lighthearted before. (what i mean is it's just a pure relationship idkidkidk fhskfhskd i suck at explaining my works) did you realize they never kissed? lolol yep, i didn't wanna "rush" their relationship, and idk i might pick this up again in the future to write how they progressed after this, but for now, we're here. they're here. together. 
> 
> anyways, yell at me! @joohoneygom on twt, ifb 💕
> 
> also, thank you to my bb, muna, for being my beta reader for this one ilyy


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